Cancer Survivors

The Patty and George Hoag Cancer Center will honor cancer survivors at the 20th annual Celebration of Life Art Exhibit from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. About 400 area cancer survivors, their families and friends and health care professionals will participate in the event, which gives local cancer survivors the opportunity to catch up with friends and fellow survivors and enjoy an afternoon of entertainment and refreshments. This year’s event will include an exhibit showcasing the artwork of cancer survivors.

Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming graced the stage at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort this week on behalf of the second annual Women's Cancer Research Foundation brunch. The Tuesday symposium included physicians, research professionals, cancer survivors and friends dedicated to improving the cure rates for women with gynecologic cancer. Fleming is a breast cancer survivor who has called her battle with the disease, "Another Olympics... a life Olympics." Two local women were honored at the event.

With 35-pounds of firefighting gear weighing him down, Newport Beach Fire Capt. Brian McDonough began what he believed would be a 24-hour journey around the track at Newport Harbor High School on Saturday morning to raise money for the American Cancer Society. “Newport Beach is so supportive of the fire department and this is my way to say ‘thank you’ to the community,” McDonough said as he took one of his first laps around the track wearing a fire helmet and heavy fire boots.

The Relay for Life held May 15 and 16 at Newport Harbor High School raised $120,000 to fund cancer research. The money raised comes on the heels of a similar Relay for Life event that was held at Orange Coast College this past weekend. That event raised roughly $70,000, bringing the total to nearly $190,000. More than 1,000 participants, forming 38 teams, walked around the track for 24 hours straight at the high school, swapping tales of survival while remembering those who died of cancer.

It had all the atmosphere of a public execution straight out of a black-and-white Western. At high noon Friday, nearly a dozen teachers and coaches from Corona del Mar High School, draped in black protective shawls, turned to face their tormentors: hair stylists who shaved their heads in the name of cancer research. As pop music blared from speakers, students emerged from the shadows of their classrooms and gravitated en masse toward the stage as the faculty appeared to the cheers of their students.

Approximately 400 area cancer survivors, their families and friends will participate in the Hoag Hospital's 12th annual "Celebration of Life" festival from 2 to 3:30 p.m. today at The Patty and George Hoag Cancer Center at 4000 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. The event is in honor of National Cancer Survivor's Day. This year's theme, "The Art of Living," will provide an opportunity for survivors to express their creativity by painting. The works will be on display throughout the center in commemoration of the day. The event will also include local entertainers, face painting for kids, a free drawing with prizes from local businesses and the opportunity to meet fellow cancer survivors.

Noaki Schwartz NEWPORT BEACH -- This weekend as many as 25,000 breast cancer survivors and supporters will participate in a race to save lives. Each day one woman in Orange County dies of breast cancer and five more are diagnosed with the life-threatening disease, according to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In response to this widespread illness, the foundation annually presents Race for the Cure, which raises money for the fight against breast cancer.

About 40 seniors from the Newport Beach Plaza retirement community sported purple T-shirts and cheerfully welcomed the Paint Our Town Purple Day Hummer limousine on Tuesday to show their support for the upcoming Relay for Life in Newport Beach. The colorful event was led by volunteers from the American Cancer Society, who circled the county in the oversized vehicle to raise awareness for the fundraiser, which is set for May 19 and 20 on the track at Newport Harbor High School. "It was a great day," said Jennifer Gifford, activities director for the plaza and spirit chair for the relay.

Julie Elkins cried only twice during her 11-year battle with breast cancer. The first time was while walking out of a clinic with the words, "You have cancer" ringing in her ears. The second was when her husband shaved her head. The Costa Mesa resident was also unprepared for the chemotherapy-induced loss of her eyebrows and eyelashes, she recalled. "I looked like Charlie Brown when I was bald," said Elkins, 52, laughing. "I learned how to tie scarves so I wouldn't look stupid.

Rich Saul will be remembered for his work as a football player, as he should. He was a great center for the Rams. But he was so much more than the player. Saul passed away Sunday. He was 64. He had been battling leukemia since 2003, the Orange County Register reported. Saul's wife told the Register he came home April 2 for hospice care after he stayed at Hoag Hospital for 10 days. The leukemia had recently progressed to his brain, the Register reported. What a remarkable man. He had this disease and not only did he fight against it, he performed charitable acts for cancer awareness.

There are social events that are all about posturing and community connections. And there are social events that are all about coming together to make a difference for a community purpose. Last week in Costa Mesa, Circle 1000, in support of The Hoag Cancer Institute, attracted a sold-out breakfast crowd at the Orange County/Costa Mesa Hilton hotel, who were all intent on standing up to cancer. This 24th annual gathering had nothing to do with fashion or social standing. It had everything to do with survival.

Breast cancer research advocate Nilo Ghandehari began eight years ago with a small backyard fundraiser, about $400 in donations and a goal to give young people a way to get involved. Now in its eighth year, the annual OC Breast Cancer Fundraiser aims to raise $25,000 and award one deserving survivor with free reconstructive breast surgery. Ghandehari, 27, was moved to action when a close friend's mother, who she described as "my mentor and my world," was diagnosed with and survived breast cancer.

It had all the atmosphere of a public execution straight out of a black-and-white Western. At high noon Friday, nearly a dozen teachers and coaches from Corona del Mar High School, draped in black protective shawls, turned to face their tormentors: hair stylists who shaved their heads in the name of cancer research. As pop music blared from speakers, students emerged from the shadows of their classrooms and gravitated en masse toward the stage as the faculty appeared to the cheers of their students.

Ten days after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous growth from her right breast, Lysanne Sebastian walked the 5K Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in September 2009. "I just had to," the 36-year-old Costa Mesa mother of two said. "People told me I was crazy." Sebastian was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. Her athletic and healthy body had never shown any signs that this was coming. "At a young age, I was faced with thoughts of mortality," Sebastian said.

The Relay for Life held May 15 and 16 at Newport Harbor High School raised $120,000 to fund cancer research. The money raised comes on the heels of a similar Relay for Life event that was held at Orange Coast College this past weekend. That event raised roughly $70,000, bringing the total to nearly $190,000. More than 1,000 participants, forming 38 teams, walked around the track for 24 hours straight at the high school, swapping tales of survival while remembering those who died of cancer.

Ethan Zohn than Zohn has been reborn. The 30-something athlete who gained fame and fortune as the winner of CBS Television’s “Survivor: Africa” in 2002, came to Newport Beach last week to front the 2010 Circle 1000 Founder’s Brunch benefiting the Hoag Cancer Center. In April 2009, Zohn was diagnosed with CD 20-positive Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. Following aggressive treatment that nearly killed Zohn, his cancer went into remission Jan. 1. This is his new birthday.

Norman Loats, 86, took out a few lined pieces of notebook paper from his suit pocket, covered with all the names of the people he wanted to thank, as he prepared to be honored as the 2009 Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year at a gala in his honor Thursday night at the Newport Beach Marriott. It was a long list. “It starts with my mom and dad — they pushed me to get a degree but only had eighth-grade educations,” Loats said. A lifelong educator and World War II veteran, Loats is most proud of his work raising money for local schools.